SPY SUPERB #1/ Story, Art & Cover by MATT KINDT/ Colors by SHARLENE KINDT/ Variant Covers by CHRISTIAN WARD, TULA LOTAY & MARTIN SIMMONDS/ Published by DARK HORSE COMICS

During WWII, the American and French governments partnered on a program to create the ultimate secret agent. Known as Spy Superb, this agent became a living legend. Rival nations spent untold fortunes failing to unmask this super genius master of disguise. This was because Spy Superb did not exist, save as a scheme to waste enemy resources chasing a ghost, while all the deeds attributed to Spy Superb were accomplished by unwitting civilians.

It was the perfect scheme… until the latest Spy Superb died before making a data pickup. Now, to save their program, they must recruit the most useless useful idiot they’ve ever dragged into service – an incompetent incel and witless wannabe writer named Jay Bartholomew III.

There was a fan theory for many years that James Bond was a code name rather than an individual. It made sense and would have made the legacy of actors who played James Bond into a true legacy. Sadly, the Ian Fleming estate shot the idea down – presumably because that would have made the 1967 Casino Royale movie canon.

Matt Kindt apparently took this idea and ran with it, putting a spin on both the tired spy genre and the even more tiresome spy parody genre. While there is little in Spy Superb #1 that will impress anyone with a passing familiarity with The Pink Panther films, Kindt’s sense of comedic timing manages to save a largely unoriginal concept. The artwork is also notable, with Kindt’s gritty style and the muted colors by Sharlene Kindt giving the book a distinctive vibe.

Fans of the spy genre will find Spy Superb enjoyable. I fear it doesn’t have much broad appeal. Still, for what it is, it is a good book.